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RNA interference

Generic block on angiogenesis

Nature volume 452, pages 543–545 (2008)Cite this article

A virtue of using small interfering RNAs as therapeutics is their exquisite specificity. But when it comes to inhibiting blood-vessel growth, it seems that they can act generically without even entering a cell.

Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels from a pre-existing capillary network, is not always healthy. It accompanies the growth of cancers1, and occurs as the 'choroidal neovascularization' that is associated with the eye disease called age-related macular degeneration2. To tackle this condition, clinical trials have been approved that exploit the phenomenon of RNA interference (RNAi) to shut down a signalling pathway that promotes angiogenesis. The assumption has been that the interfering RNA enters an affected cell in some mysterious way, and has a highly specific impact in shutting down angiogenic activity.

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Figure 1: Possible route of nonspecific siRNA action through Toll-like receptor 3.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Raghu Kalluri and Keizo Kanasaki are in the Division of Matrix Biology, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA. rkalluri@bidmc.harvard.edu,

    Raghu Kalluri & Keizo Kanasaki

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  1. Raghu Kalluri
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  2. Keizo Kanasaki
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Kalluri, R., Kanasaki, K. Generic block on angiogenesis. Nature 452, 543–545 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/452543a

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